Forgetting Charlotte

The Article

Chapter twenty-one: The article

Michael

David

Michael, the father of my child, the man I once promised my life to.

David, loyal, considerate, and in love with me.

Michael, who came back.

David, who never left.

I sat scribbling on my yellow pad, letting my pencil guide itself in hopes that it would write out a solution for me.

I had come into work early to complete my article before my 3:00 lunch date with Michael.

I had been typing out another week of the column I had been posting on the website for weeks now, a weekly on impending motherhood, hoping it would transition into a regular column on motherhood after I gave birth. Given the past eight months I hadn't been able to really focus on anything else and the motherhood columns began to write themselves. Writing constantly refocused my impending single parenthood and I found it difficult to write about anything else.

My following hadn't picked up and I was concerned that maybe I was writing on a topic that didn't interest people. The fact that I had included my recent hiccup with the reappearance of Michael I'm sure didn't help matters. I had avoided constantly glancing at the website in hopes it would clear my mind and guide me towards a more productive idea, but the only thing that I was guided towards was unconsciously writing a list on the two men currently at the forefront of my mind.

"Aarrgghh..." I dropped my head down on my desk, hitting the space button on my keyboard, sending my computer into a frantic hiccup.

"Charlie, can I see you in my office?" Phillip was hollering across the office for me as other employees snapped their heads up to look at me, wondering what trouble I had gotten myself into now.

"Oh just turn around, this isn't days of our lives." I snapped as I heaved myself out of my seat, grunting as I felt the full force of my 8 month weight hit my swollen ankles.

Some turned around just long enough for me to get to Phillip's door but I saw them watch me out of the corner of their eyes as I walked in. I sighed and threw myself down in the usual chair across from Phillip, thankful for the rest.

"Charlie, you really should be more mindful of how you sit down, you can hurt yourself." Phillip lowered his new reading glasses at me. He had been looking significantly older lately, and the square framed grandpa glasses did nothing to help him.

"Phillip, I'm as big as a house, with cankles for support. I highly doubt that anything I do will hurt me." I huffed as I instinctively placed my hands on my belly to block it from karma.

"Cankles?" Phillip's mouth dropped in confusion.

I stretched my arms out to try to alleviate the pressure on my back. "Cankles, you know, when your ankles and calves are so swollen they mold into one, hence the one word smash, cankles."

Phillip blinked at me several times. I was concerned he didn't get the joke when suddenly he burst out laughing. "You know Charlie; I forget how funny you are. I mean with Jolene, she is always so loud and blunt you know she is funny but with you I forget how ingenious you're comedic timing is. That is precisely why your column is doing so fantastic. Cankles, that's funny, you should include that."

"Um, excuse me; I seem to be having a different conversation. What are you talking about?" It was my turn to stare blankly and blink several times.

"Your column, the one about single motherhood. I mean originally when Alicia and I discussed it we both agreed to let you write it so you could get it out of your system..."